


The Space Between

by twtd



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fairy Tale Elements, Matchmaking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 16:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15667269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd
Summary: Hecate and Pippa have been orbiting each other for centuries. Can Mildred break the cycle and bring them together for good?***Once upon a time there were two witches and they were the best of friends. One was ruled by the Sun. She had all the radiance and warmth of that most preeminent of celestial bodies, and everyone seemed drawn to her. Her orbit was always full, both with the sincere and the insincere, but there was only one witch she truly adored.The second witch was ruled by the Moon, a woman of darkness and mystery. Like so many others, she loved the sun witch the moment they met, but she did not realize it. Love was such a foreign feeling to her that when she felt it, she only became confused and tried to push the feeling away.





	The Space Between

**Author's Note:**

> This story is 100% villainousunsub's fault. 100%. It was all her idea, I just wrote down the words. She also made a couple of awesome moodboards inspired by this fic and you should go check them out on tumblr.

 

 

_You cannot quit me so quickly_  
_Is no hope in you for me?_  
_No corner you could squeeze me_  
_But I've got all the time for you love_

***

" _Once upon a time_ there were two witches and they were the best of friends. One was ruled by the Sun. She had all the radiance and warmth of that most preeminent of celestial bodies, and everyone seemed drawn to her. Her orbit was always full, both with the sincere and the insincere, but there was only one witch she truly adored.

"The second witch was ruled by the Moon, a woman of darkness and mystery. Like so many others, she loved the sun witch the moment they met, but she did not realize it. Love was such a foreign feeling to her that when she felt it, she only became confused and tried to push the feeling away.

"Still, despite the numerous hangers-on, the Sun Witch only had eyes for the Moon Witch. For a time, their paths were the same. The sun witch shone brightly and the moon witch reflected that brightness back and they were happy.

"But like all people do, they grew older, and as all things do, the world changed. And the world was not kind to the Moon Witch. Her reserve was mistaken for snobbishness and her need to reflect the Sun Witch's light mistaken for obsession. Each laugh and each sneer hit true, leaving her wounded and hurt. As long as the Moon Witch was with the Sun Witch, the insults abated and she reflected back the sun witch's luminous glow.

"Yet, she could not be with the Sun Witch all the time, and eventually, the Moon Witch became covered in the scars from badly healed cuts and her light grew more and more dim. She turned secretive and melancholic. She started to believe the whispers. She fell into darkness and pulled away from the sun witch completely, falling out of her orbit, convinced she was doing nothing but sapping away the sun witch's luminous energy. She did not understand that the sun witch's light was given freely and without diminishment. She did not understand that the Sun Witch ached to have the Moon Witch by her side. And so they both spun further and further apart until neither could see the other and they each were alone.

"The Sun and the Moon looked down on their charges. The Sun despaired; the Moon lamented. Yet, they could do nothing, for the Moon Witch had closed herself off to the influence of the Sun and the Sun Witch had closed herself off to the influence of the Moon. Rarely in the sky together, the Sun and the Moon could only chase each other and watch as the witches suffered.

"But there is magic in Witches' tears, and as the Sun Witch and the Moon Witch cried at their losses, those tears soaked into the Earth. Even as they were tied to the Sun and the Moon, the witches were still daughters of the Earth, and she could not allow their suffering. Yet, unlike the Sun and the Moon, the Earth had no direct influence on the Witches. She could not act to cause their reunion, so instead, she promised that another of her daughters would come, and if she possessed enough perseverance, she would reunite the Witches. But the Earth works slowly and in her own time, and that daughter has not appeared. But she will, and when she does, the witches, each still walking the Earth alone, will come together again."

As she came to the close of the story, a longtime favorite, Julie Hubble placed a kiss on the top of Mildred's head.

"Mummy, are the witches real?" A young Mildred asked as she curled into Julie's side. Bedtime had crept up on her and she fought against sleep even as her eyes drooped closed.

"As real as magic, love, as real as magic."

"Then it's definitely real," Mildred said as she yawned and snuggled closer to Julie. Sleep claimed her seconds later.

***

"The end," Mildred said to her audience. She, Maud, and Enid sat around Mildred's room cutting out Valentines' Day hearts from construction paper. Miss Cackle, over Miss Hardbroom's strong objections, had given them permission to decorate the dining hall for the holiday, and they were busy preparing to do just that.

"That's so sad," Maud said as she frowned.

"But romantic," Mildred responded. Enid swooned in the most overly dramatic way possible, sighing as she flopped down on the bed and doing a perfect imitation of Felicity whenever Miss Pentangle appeared. Mildred and Maud giggled at Enid's antics.

"D'you think there's a chance it's real? That it really happened?" Mildred asked as she picked up another piece of construction paper, unconsciously cutting the pale grey paper into the shape of a crescent moon.

"No way," Maud said. "Infinitely old, pining witches? There's no way you could keep a secret like that without some serious spells and violating the Witches' Code about a million times."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be the bats?" Enid sat up from her swoon. "I bet you could do it with some forgetting powder and just moving around a lot."

"My mum says the story has been passed down for ages and ages, so maybe it started back when my family still had magic," Mildred said. "And whenever I asked, she said it was as real as magic, but magic _is_ real. And witches are real, and I thought they were both impossible a year ago. So maybe _these_ witches are real too." Mildred got more and more excited as she talked, and her face lit up.

"Even if they are real, so what?" Enid asked.

"I dunno," Mildred shrugged. "Maybe we could find them or something. Help them get back together."

"Do you even know any adults who aren't teachers?" Maud pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Well," Mildred frowned, "Not really." Maud and Enid's mums didn't seem like the types to be star-crossed lovers. Other than them, Ursula Hallow, and Miss Pentangle, Mildred really didn't know any adult witches beyond her teachers. She shrugged. "Doesn't mean we can't be on the lookout though."

Mildred shuffled through the cardboard to find a yellow piece of paper and cut out a sun to go with her moon. After all, if she had one she really should have the other.

***

" _What_ are you doing with those," Miss Hardbroom hissed. Mildred looked down at the cardboard sun and moon in her hands.

"I was going to hang them up?" Mildred said hesitantly as she looked at a spot above Miss Hardbroom's head.

"And what, pray tell, do those have to do with Valentine's Day?" Miss Hardbroom sneered down at Mildred.

"Well, you see, there's this story about a Moon Witch and a Sun Witch and how they're in love with each other--" Mildred didn't know if she was actually going to tell Miss Hardbroom the entire story, but she didn't get the chance.

"Enough." Miss Hardbroom interrupted her. She crossed her arms and Mildred braced herself. Just how many detentions was she about to have to sit? She didn't notice Miss Cackle until she put a hand on Miss Hardbroom's arm.

"Come now, Hecate, not everyone has your aversion to astronomy. It's just some cardboard. Let the girls do as they please."

Miss Hardbroom pursed her lips. "Very well. You may… continue," she said, the words pulled from between her teeth. Mildred scampered away before Miss Hardbroom had a chance to change her mind. Still, if Miss Hardbroom didn't like astronomy, why did she have a moon on the top of her wizard's staff?

***

Mildred opened her bedroom door and snuck into the corridor. She couldn't sleep and she really just wanted to walk around for a little bit. She didn't know what brought her up to the tower, but she noiselessly pushed open the door and immediately froze. Miss Hardbroom sat on the ground in front of her, legs tucked to the side, bathed in the light of the full moon. A thin blanket stretched out beneath her and her staff lay on the ground next to her. With her eyes closed, Miss Hardbroom picked up the staff. She wove it through a complicated series of motions that Mildred couldn't really follow, then held it up. As she did, the staff seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. Mildred's breath caught in her throat and her mouth dropped open in awe as the sparkle shimmered down Miss Hardbroom's arm and spread across her chest.

There was something about the light that seemed alive, that made Miss Hardbroom seem more alive, though Mildred had never noticed her looking anything other than the picture of health. It was like the moon and Miss Hardbroom had become somehow the same. The entire scene baffled Mildred, but she knew it wasn't something she was supposed to be seeing. It would mean something way worse than detention if she got caught. She stepped back and closed the door as quietly as possible before she fled back to her room. Still, something caught in the back of her mind. Something about the scene felt familiar.

***

"Maud, Enid," Mildred said as she grabbed each of their elbows and rested her hands in the crooks. "I think I've figured out who the Moon Witch is."

"Are you still on about that?" Enid rolled her eyes as they kept walking down the corridor.

"Didn't you already say you don't know any witches?" Maud chimed in. Maud was right, but that didn't deter Mildred. She knew she was right too.

"No, I said I don't know any witches who are teachers," Mildred responded. "But what if the Moon Witch _is_ one of our teachers?" She grinned as she let go of Maud and Enid.

"You really think one of our teachers is super old and pining away after someone?" Maud looked at Mildred skeptically, but Mildred pressed on.

"I do, and I think it's Miss Hardbroom." Mildred nodded decisively.

"HB? No way," Enid said as she shook her head.

"You know how much I hate this, but I agree with Enid. Miss Hardbroom isn't in love with anything that isn't a potions ingredient."

"No, I'm telling you. I saw her on the tower the other night and it's like she became part of the moon. I know it's her." Mildred was adamant. It had to be Miss Hardbroom. She just knew it.

"Well, she is dramatic enough," Enid said thoughtfully. If anyone they knew was going to be pining after someone, it would be Miss Hardbroom.

"Even if she is the Moon Witch, how're we ever going to figure out who the Sun Witch is? It could be anyone," Maud said.

"Yeah," Mildred sighed, "At least we know it's someone that she already knows. And Miss Hardbroom spends all of her time here, so it can't be too many people, right?"

"Whatever you say, Millie, whatever you say," Maud patted Mildred's shoulder. "Now, unless we want to be late for spell science, we need to go."

***

Mildred, like everyone else at Cackle's, watched as Miss Pentangle alighted from her broom and into the center of the courtyard, sundogs flaring in the sky behind her. It took only seconds for Miss Hardbroom to pop into existence beside her.

"Pippa." Mildred was just close enough to overhear Miss Hardbroom say, "Here for your meeting with Ada?"

"And perhaps tea with you after?" Miss Pentangle replied. Good, at least they seemed to have mended things after the last time Miss Pentangle had visited and she overheard them arguing.

"Mmm, perhaps. My day is quite busy. I'm not sure I shall be able to find the time," Miss Hardbroom said. Mildred sighed. Maybe things weren't as mended as she thought. Even she knew a brush-off when she heard one. There had to be something she could do. She'd have to think on it.

***

Mildred jumped about a foot in the air when Miss Pentangle suddenly appeared in her room. Still, she greeted the older witch with a proper "well met," before she let herself smile fully.

"Hello Mildred," Miss Pentangle smiled down at Mildred where she sat on her bed attempting to revise. It hadn't been going well, really, she had just been sketching, and Miss Pentangle's presence was a welcome distraction. "I thought I would come say hello while I was here."

"Hello." Mildred bounced a little from her seat on her bed.

"Oh, what're you drawing there?" Miss Pentangle twisted her head around to see Mildred's drawing the right side around.

"It's just a fairy tale my mom used to tell me. It's about two witches and the Sun and the Moon. For some reason, I've been thinking about it a lot lately." Mildred turned the drawing around handed it to Miss Pentangle. Miss Pentangle put on her reading glasses as she took drawing. If the Moon Witch looked a bit like Miss Hardbroom, Mildred hoped Miss Pentangle wouldn't notice. The Sun Witch didn't have any features yet.

"Oh. This is…" The paper trembled in Miss Pentangle's hand. "It's lovely, Mildred." But she didn't look like she was enjoying the drawing. If anything, she looked sad. A pink-frosted doughnut appeared in her hand and she took a large bite as she passed the drawing back to Mildred.

"Do you know the story? Because Maud and Enid had never heard it before and I thought maybe it had been passed down by my witchy great-grandmothers."

"I'm familiar with it, yes. It's a very old story." Miss Pentangle's smile fell and she looked pensive.

"D'you think it might be real?" Mildred wanted to know what was making Miss Pentangle sad, but she didn't know a good way to ask.

"I think there are all sorts of truths in fairy tales, even if they aren't exactly real." Miss Pentangle took another bite of her doughnut. "I really must be going." She vanished away the rest of her doughnut. "Goodbye, Mildred."

"Goodbye, Miss Pentangle." Mildred bit her lip as Miss Pentangle disappeared.

***

"It's Miss Pentangle," Mildred whispered over her dinner plate to Maud and Enid.

"What's Miss Pentangle?" Enid asked as she looked up at the head table where a subdued Miss Pentangle sat with the other teachers, Miss Hardbroom far at the other end.

"The Sun Witch. She knew about the fairy tale when I told her about it. No one else has heard of it. And she got really sad when I showed her the picture I drew of it. She had a doughnut even though it was right before dinner. She's been looking down at Miss Hardbroom all night and gotten unhappier and unhappier every time Miss Hardbroom doesn't look back at her. But Miss Hardbroom has been looking at Miss Pentangle too, just not when Miss Pentangle has been looking.

Maud and Enid looked up at the head table but right then both teachers were looking down at their food.

Enid shrugged. "Maybe they like each other. That doesn't mean they're witches out of a fairy tale."

"Come on, where's your sense of romance," Mildred said as she bumped her shoulder into Maud's, which pushed her into Enid's.

"Even if they are your witches, Millie, what are we supposed to do about it?" Maud asked.

"Get them together, of course," Mildred said mischievously. "They just need a little push, that's all."

Maud sighed. "This isn't going to end well."

***

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Maud asked as she looked down at two identical looking pieces of paper.

"It's totally going to work," Mildred reassured her. "They'll get the letters and neither of them is going to be able to let the other go someplace dangerous like a faerie ring alone."

Maud sighed, but there wasn't anything she could do in the face of Mildred's excitement.

"Besides, getting them in the in the same place worked last time. It'll totally work again." Mildred started writing and Enid hovered over her shoulder and opened the spell book.

"Here it is: a spell to imitate someone's handwriting. It looks like it only works if the two people writing are really close. D'you think Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle are close enough for this to work?" Enid looked up from the book at Mildred and Maud.

"They've known each other for more than 300 years. They've got to be close," Mildred reasoned as she finished writing the letters and took the spell book from Enid. "Okay, I think we're ready." Maud and Enid gathered closer and they recited the spell together:

 _With pen and ink_ _I cast this spell_  
_As if I were to wish you well_  
_A message sent from those most dear_  
_Won't you please make it clear?_

The paper fluttered and glowed and before their eyes, the handwriting changed. Even the words changed into things that sounded more like they were written by Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle.

"Excellent," Millie grinned. "Now we just have to make sure they wind up in the right places."

***

Mildred crouched down behind a tree just beyond where she, Maud, and Enid told Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle to meet. She'd tried to stay away, but her curiosity got the better of her and she snuck out to see the meeting and now she was hoping that her newly perfected invisibility spell would hold out. She jumped slightly when she heard the snap of a twig off to her right as Miss Pentangle entered the clearing.

"Pippa?" Miss Hardbroom called out before she started muttering to herself. Mildred heard "kill her if she's gone off by herself…" before the crunching of more twigs announced Miss Pentangle's arrival. Miss Hardbroom turned to face her.

"Well met, Hecate," Miss Pentangle said too formally for Mildred's liking.

"Well met." Miss Hardbroom dipped her head. "So, where's this faerie ring of yours?" she asked.

"Of mine? I thought we were here for your expedition into a faerie ring." Miss Pentangle clasped her hands in front of herself. Mildred crossed her fingers. She knew they were going to find out about the trick. She just hoped getting them back together would make the inevitable detentions worth it.

"Why on Earth would I be so foolish as to want to go into a faerie ring?" Miss Hardbroom asked as she crossed her arms and turned away slightly.

"I don't know, Hecate. It isn't like you've never done it before," Miss Pentangle said sarcastically. It made Miss Hardbroom turn around to face Miss Pentangle again.

"I was little more than a girl. Things were different then, and I distinctly remember it being your idea in the first place," Miss Hardbroom hissed out, upset but with no real malice in her voice.

"Things were different then, weren't they?" Miss Pentangle asked, her tone shifting to something more introspective, more longing.

"Don't do this, Pippa." Miss Hardbroom's voice sounded rough.

"Why shouldn't I?" Miss Pentangle responded. "Times have changed. As much as you cling to the old ways, I know you aren't completely stuck in the past. You have to see that things could be different now."

"No. They can't. You're so willing to try every new magical craze, but you can't see how none of them change anything. It all eventually comes back to tradition." Miss Hardbroom crossed her arms and stood tall.

"And tradition says that we can't be together," Miss Pentangle said ruefully. "Do you know why I've invested so much time in modern magic? Because one day I'm going to find the spell that lets me be with you."

"There is no spell," Miss Hardbroom cut back.

"You can't know that. The story says…" Miss Pentangle started before Miss Hardbroom cut her off.

"It's just a story. It isn't real."

"Isn't it? Mildred Hubble seems to think it is, otherwise why would she keep setting us up like this?" Miss Pentangle questioned.

"Mildred Hubble is a menace and doesn't know what she's meddling in."

"Maybe not, but I do. Damn it, Hecate. Maybe if you could stop thinking of reasons this can't work, and start thinking of reasons why it can, we could make some sort of headway." Miss Pentangle clenched her fists as she approached Miss Hardbroom.

"I hurt you." Hecate pleaded as she took a step back.

"And I hurt you. You are proud and you are stubborn, but you are also beautiful and so, so much more kind than anyone else knows. I love you, Hecate. I have loved you for 300 years. When will you learn that you can love me back?"

Miss Hardbroom's eyes welled up with an emotion Mildred couldn't read. Her next step faltered and suddenly Miss Pentangle was there holding Miss Hardbroom's arm and helping her balance.

"Hecate, _please_." Miss Pentangle pleaded.

"Pippa, we can't," Miss Hardbroom whispered it so softly Mildred almost didn't hear her. Miss Pentangle cupped Miss Hardbroom's cheek.

"We can. Trust me. Believe in me." Miss Pentangle leaned her forehead against Miss Hardbroom's. "Believe in us again." Miss Hardbroom nodded just a bit. It was enough.

Above them, the sky began to darken, and a false twilight fell over the clearing. Mildred looked up just as the moon slid in front of the sun. When she looked down again, Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle were locked in the tightest hug Mildred had ever seen. Their first kiss was quick, barely a brush of lips against lips, but as soon as they finished, the light began to come back.

Mildred checked her invisibility spell once again, and seeing that it still held, she stood up from her crouch. She needed to get out of there and back to the school before anyone missed her. As she ran, a giant smile split her face. She had done it. She had gotten the Sun Witch and the Moon Witch back together. The story was going to need a new ending.

_And they lived happily ever after_

**Author's Note:**

> It really has been almost 300 years since a total solar eclipse was seen in London. I know the show doesn't take place in London, but we're pretending the research I did was relevant.
> 
> As always, I'm on tumblr @twtd11 and comments make my life.


End file.
